Nine Lives
by ZestyBeat
Summary: "What is it?" Jade snapped, turning back to Tori and Robbie. "I've got better things to do than talk to you two, so make it quick." Tori shifted uncomfortably. "Cat's stuck." Or, Cat finds herself stuck in a tree. Oh, the irony. One-shot.


**Disclaimer: As always, I don't own Victorious. The always-amazing Dan Schneider does.**

* * *

"Jade! Jade!"

An urgent voice travelled through the air. Jade's head snapped up from where she was placing a few books into her locker and she swivelled around upon hearing the call of her name. Tori and Robbie were quickly rushing towards her in a desperate sort of manner. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of two of her least favourite people and in a split second decision, she slammed her locker door closed and started to walk away from the two as quickly and inconspicuously as she could.

"Jade, I can see you! Don't you ignore me; I need to tell you something really important!"

Jade turned around once more, gritting her teeth and she glared at Tori as she and Robbie jogged up to her. Other students were starting to peer curiously in their direction. Jade immediately narrowed her eyes at them and they all continued to mind their own business, unwilling to get on the bad side of Jade West.

"What is it?" Jade snapped, turning back to Tori and Robbie. "I've got better things to do than talk to you two, so make it quick. And it had better be something important or I'm going to -"

"Cat's stuck."

Jade's snarl dropped immediately into a look of confusion and concern at Robbie's statement. "What?"

The two shifted uncomfortably.

"She's stuck," Tori repeated.

"I heard that," Jade growled, rolling her eyes. "How is she 'stuck' exactly?"

"Well," Tori began nervously, sensing Jade's impatience. "Cat, Robbie and I were outside near the Asphalt Café, and there's this really tall tree there -"

"And you scared her into climbing it?" Jade asked sarcastically.

"No!" Tori retorted. Robbie decided to take over from there.

"Some guys were doing construction work on the roof near the tree," He continued. "And there was a ladder on it. And um, well..." Robbie then became hesitant. "Uh, Cat started to become fascinated with the tree after I pointed out the birds nest -"

"Does this story have a point to it?"

"I'm getting to it!" Now Robbie was the one getting impatient. "Can't you just listen for once -"

"Anyway, Cat decided to climb it!" Tori interrupted before Robbie could say something that he would later regret. "Robbie and I tried to stop her, but she wanted to see the baby birds. When she reached the top, the construction guys came along and took away the ladder and they wouldn't come back when we called after them!"

Jade growled. "Vega, if this is all a big joke, I swear -"

"It's true!" Robbie insisted. "They just said something like, "You kids work it out for yourselves!""

"Look, just come see! Cat's scared and she keeps calling for you!" Tori pleaded. "Sikowitz has already called the fire department and they're on their way, but she won't stay calm!"

"Alright," Jade softened and began to follow the two. Suddenly her face hardened and she frowned in annoyance. "Wait a minute. You guys just _left_her there by herself? What if she does something stupid and tries to fly down with some birds?!"

* * *

As they reached the Asphalt Café, Jade could start to make out Cat's little calls for help in the distance. Dread and panic started to fill her and she began to run towards the tree, Robbie and Tori close on her heels. The tree came into view, and sure enough, about halfway up it, was Cat. She was sitting on a sturdy-looking branch, hugging the trunk and crying. The tree was the size of a three-storey building - obviously too tall for Cat to jump down from - and didn't have any other thick branches apart from the one that Cat was sitting on already, which made it impossible for her to climb down. Sikowitz, Lane and a few other students were at the base of the tree. The two teachers looked concerned and were calling up reassurances to the redhead, while some students were giggling and snapping pictures with their phones, filling Jade with absolute rage.

"Hey!" She yelled furiously while stomping over to the students. "Get lost! Can't you see that you're making Cat upset?"

The students gave each other sidelong glances and one of the bolder students stared at her while the others looked on cautiously.

"Yeah? Make us," He sneered daringly.

Jade took an intimidating step closer to the student and his confident grin dropped into a look of terror and he and the other students took off running. She smirked and turned to Sikowitz and Lane.

"When's the fire department getting here?" She asked, concern taking over her voice. Lane shook his head.

"When we called, they told us that they would not be arriving for another half hour," He explained in his smooth, yet worried voice.

"Half an hour?!" Jade almost yelled out. "Why not sooner?" She was cut off from a cry from above, "Jaaade? Is that you?"

Jade sighed, glancing upwards towards Cat. She was cautiously peering down, her eyes wide and cheeks red.

"Yeah, Cat, it's me," Jade called up the tree.

"I'd better get back to my office," Lane spoke up. "Will you be alright to watch her?" Sikowitz nodded.

"Don't worry," he chuckled. "We'll be fine. As long as she doesn't try to jump down." Sikowitz paused, as if to reconsider what he had just said. Lane shook his head and walked back in the direction of the school. Jade watched him go and then turned back to the tree.

"Cat, don't move, okay? The fire department are coming soon."

"Okaaay! But what if I fall?" Cat cried, fright evidence in her voice. Jade rolled her eyes.

"That's exactly why I just said 'don't move'!" She yelled.

"Don't worry, Cat!" Tori's voice shouted from behind her, startling Jade slightly. She had completely forgotten that Tori and Robbie were with her. "You're not going to fall!" Cat's tears halted for a moment.

"Are you sure?" She called down quietly. Tori nodded, a comforting smile on her face.

"You'll be fine, just hang on tight!" She replied. Cat's arms tightened around the trunk and she nodded. Jade had to hand it to Tori. She really knew how to handle Cat in a situation like this.

"Besides," Robbie added unnecessarily. "Even if you fall, cats always land on their feet!" Cat's mouth dropped open in horror. Jade's fists tightened, silently willing Robbie to shut up for once in his life. Unfortunately, he continued on to say, "And they have nine lives! So it wouldn't matter if you lost one, right?" Cat gasped, tears once again starting to run down her cheeks.

"I-I-I don't wanna fall!" She wailed piteously. Tori placed her head into her hands and groaned, while Jade swivelled around to face Robbie, who was looking slightly terrified.

"You," Jade growled, hands reaching out and grabbing the front of Robbie's shirt, twisting the material with her fingers, effectively trapping him. Robbie squeaked. "Haven't your parents ever told you to 'say something nice, or not say anything at all'?"

"I thought that it might make her laugh!" He choked out. Jade opened her mouth to yell at Robbie a bit more but fortunately for him, Sikowitz's voice interrupted her.

"Is that right? Okay, thank you."

Jade shoved Robbie away and turned back to face Sikowitz, who was now hanging up a PearPhone.

"Who was that?" Tori asked, curiously.

"The fire department," Sikowitz smiled proudly. "I managed to convince them to put our situation on the top of the priority list. They said that they'll be here in ten minutes." Tori cheered.

"Did you hear that, Cat?" She called cheerfully. "The fire department are coming sooner than we thought!" There was no reply. Jade snapped her head up towards the tree in alarm. Cat's face was now as pale as a sheet, hands trembling as she clutched the tree trunk.

"Tori? Jade?" She called down shakily. "I don't feel so good..." Jade's throat tightened in anguish for her friend.

"Cat, you're going to be okay. Just don't let go of the tree," Jade called. Cat nodded, slightly encouraged by Jade's words and replied with a quiet, "Kay, kay," which did nothing to reassure Jade's worries. She turned to face Sikowitz.

"I know what Cat's tolerance levels are like, and believe me when I tell you that she isn't going to last until the fire department get here!" She hissed. "We need to get her down now, or else she might faint!"

Sikowitz shook his head.

"The fire department are on their way," Sikowitz tried to reason with Jade. "I'm sure Cat can hold on until then." They all looked back up to the tree where Cat was starting to sway, looking even paler than before. Sikowitz's eyes widened.

A few minutes later, Robbie was panting as he ran furiously towards the group who were waiting under the tree. The ladder from the janitor's closet was tucked under his arm, and he quickly placed it against the base of the tree, unfolding the bottom of it to secure it. Sikowitz was rubbing his chin thoughtfully, Tori shifting nervously from foot to foot, while Jade was looking extremely impatient, eyes full of concern for Cat, who was taking deep breaths and trying not to panic, or worse, faint.

"There!" Robbie cheered weakly. "Done! Should I climb it to get her, Sikowi -"

"Move!" Jade shoved Robbie aside and started climbing the ladder, Tori and Robbie rushing to hold onto the bottom of the ladder for extra support. Jade's hands clenched each rung as she climbed up towards the branch that Cat was sitting on as quickly as she could possibly go.

"Cat, I'm coming to get you, okay?" She called up. There was no answer.

"Dang it," She mumbled and climbed even faster. The branch was in view, Cat sitting upon it, looking like a ghost. Jade reached out and grabbed the branch, hoisting herself onto it, and sat next to Cat. She steadied herself on the branch and after making sure that the ladder was going nowhere she turned all of her attention to Cat. Her younger friend was shaking, tears dripping down her face in what looked like shock. Jade reached out around Cat and clutched the trunk of the tree, effectively holding Cat to the tree to keep them both from falling. She spared a quick look below them. It was a pretty big drop and she knew that she had to get Cat back onto solid ground before her younger friend started to panic.

"Cat?" Jade attempted, pressing her body against Cat's back to give her some comfort and ran her fingertips along Cat's. "Come on, don't you dare faint. Answer me so I know you're okay." Cat swallowed thickly.

"I'm so scared," She whimpered, clutching one of Jade's hands in fright. Jade sighed in relief, and pressed her free arm against the tree to secure them both to the tree. "It's so high up..."

"Why did you climb it then?" Jade asked patiently, waiting for some colour to return to Cat's face.

"I wanted to see the baby birds!" Cat retorted weakly, a light smile coming on her face. Her smile dropped however once she was reminded of the desperateness of their situation.

"Are we ever going to get down?" Cat whispered, clutching the tree tightly once more. Jade chuckled and pressed a light kiss to the back of Cat's head. She hoped that Tori wasn't able to see them clearly, otherwise Jade would never hear the end of 'how sweet' she was being to Cat.

"Yeah, Cat, we're going to get down," Jade told her. "We can go right now, if you want. Or do you want to stay here for a few more minutes?" She joked. Cat turned her head to the side to try to face Jade.

"No!" She cried, paling a little bit more.

After making sure that Cat was going to support herself properly on the branch of the tree, Jade carefully released her friend and got onto the ladder, climbing down a little bit.

"Okay, Cat," Jade instructed. "Step onto this rung right here." Cat gulped and nodded. She carefully placed her foot onto the ladder, but immediately withdrew it, clutching back onto the tree.

"I can't! I'm scared!" She cried. Jade's eyebrows furrowed in frustration.

"Yes, you can!" Jade urged, trying not to lose her temper. "Come on, you'll be down sooner than you think!" Cat took a few panicked breaths but moved back towards the ladder once more and placed her foot on the rung. Jade grabbed onto her shoe to make sure she wouldn't pull back and Cat put her other foot onto the rung beside it. Jade cheered inwardly.

"Okay, let's go down now!" Jade smiled and looked up at Cat who, again, wasn't going anywhere, now clutching tightly to the ladder. Jade smile dropped and she groaned.

"Come on," She encouraged. "You're doing great. Not long until we reach the ground." A sob reached her ears and Jade's heart broke once again for her distressed friend. Jade reached up and soothingly ran her hand along the back of Cat's leg.

"You can do this, Cat," Jade promised. "I'll even buy you some ice-cream once we get to the ground, if you want." Cat's cries started to die down. After a few moments, she had composed herself and mumbled a, "with sprinkles, too?"

"Yeah, whatever you want," Jade rolled her eyes. Even in the face of danger Cat was still blackmailing her. She began to climb down slowly, and eventually Cat started following her. Tori and Robbie cheered the two girls on while still maintaining a secure hold on the bottom of the ladder.

"And, touchdown," Jade joked quietly once she was safely on the ground. Cat carefully stepped down after her.

"Cat!" Tori cried from behind Jade, running up to Cat and engulfing her in a bear hug. Robbie latched onto both girls in a group hug while Jade and Sikowitz watched the group from a small distance away. Sikowitz gently clapped Jade on the shoulder proudly and Jade had to stifle a smile. Tori gently pulled away from the hug, holding Cat at arm's length.

"Are you alright?" She asked, concern in her voice. Cat nodded, albeit a bit shakily, a bit of colour slowly returning to her face.

"That was way too close," Robbie sighed and ruffled Cat's hair playfully, almost in a Beck-like manner. Cat giggled softly and turned to Jade, who was standing a few feet away. She shyly made her way over to Jade and smiled gently.

"Thank you so much, Jadey," Cat's eyes were sparkling with thankful tears. "I don't know what I would've done if you weren't there."

"Yeah, yeah," Jade rolled her eyes playfully and she reached out and pulled Cat to her in a soft hug, not caring who saw them at this point. "It was no big deal." Cat sighed contentedly in the hug and squealed excitedly when Jade squeezed her tightly. Pulling away, she grasped at Jade's sleeve.

"Ice-cream!" Cat giggled, remembering Jade's promise. Jade narrowed her eyes.

"No. After school finishes," She replied sternly. "We don't need you being more hyper than you usually are."

"Aw, but Jaaade -"

Cat's whining was interrupted by the sight of a large red fire engine driving towards them. Jade rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"Really? Really?!" She yelled out, one of her eyes twitching in aggravation.

The fire engine made its way under the tree and parked. One of the firemen got out of the truck and made his way over to the small group.

"It's about time," Jade snarled. Tori shook her head and Cat covered her mouth to hide a giggle at their antics. The fireman ignored them and turned to Sikowitz.

"Sorry about the delay," He began cheerfully. Jade gritted her teeth at the 'too-happy man'. "Before we do our job, could you explain something to us? Some of us don't really understand why this had to be made a high priority when it was only a minor sort of job -" Robbie interrupted him with a, "What?! This _wasn't_considered high priority?" The fireman looked at Robbie and chuckled.

"Oh, no. This would be placed at the bottom of our to-do list, really!" The fireman continued. "But when this teacher here called a few times, we figured it must be pretty important."

The group exchanged confused looks.

"Um," Tori raised her eyebrows. "Wouldn't you think that this is really important, even without a teacher having to call the station a few times?" The fireman shook his head.

"Nope! Now," The fireman clapped his hands, rubbing them together in anticipation. "Let's get this job done! Where's this poor little kitty cat that's stuck in a tree? We'll get it down!"


End file.
